Introduction: What is God’s original purpose for wealth and abundance? How could we still be believing the enemy’s first lie spoken in the garden? Is money the ultimate source of wickedness, evil, and selfishness? What effect does wealth have upon the character of it’s possessor? Why do so many evil people seem to be so rich? What did the wealthiest man in Asia do with his financial abundance? Today we will be searching the Law of Abundance through the Scriptures.
1 Where is the first place Gold is mentioned in scripture? Genesis 2:11-12
Note: Gold, a universal symbol of wealth, money, and abundance was pronounced by God to be good. Why is it in every nation, culture, and location throughout the world, that gold is universally recognized as valuable? Why not Copper? Why not iron? Why not lead? Why specifically the element we call gold? Because God said it was good. God’s word placed the value upon gold thousands of years ago and His word has sustained its value ever since. I used to believe money or having a lot of it was inherently evil, selfish, or wicked. Then I believed money was neutral and neither good nor bad but depended upon how one used it. But from Genesis 2:12 I now believe that gold, according to God, is inherently good. The wicked could use money for doing bad, outside of its original design, but gold is still good. This common myth that wealth is wickedness and poverty is piety is not a Bible concept. I like the way my favorite Christian author puts it “The desire to accumulate wealth is an original affection of our nature, implanted there by our heavenly Father for noble ends.” {Counsels on Stewardship pg. 148.4} (See also Genesis 1:28)
2 When in the Bible is the first time gold is mentioned in the hands of the heathen? Genesis 41:42
Note: Gold is mentioned 8 times in the Book of Genesis. When Gold is mentioned in Genesis it’s either 1.) in the hands of God’s people (Genesis 13:2). 2.) It is being handed over to God’s people. (Genesis 41:42) 3.) It is handy to God’s people. Meaning it is convenient or available to God’s people (Genesis 2:11-12) We consider the Book of Genesis significant because God is revealing in all 3 scenarios whose hand He originally designed gold to be in; in the hands of His people.
3 Why has God given the sinner to travail, to gather, and to heap up his treasures on earth? Ecclesiastes 2:26
4 What was the character like of the wealthiest man in all of Asia? Job 1:1-3 (opens in new tab due to long verse)
Note: The scriptures reveal how Job wouldn’t qualify for the food stamps program. Some people wonder, “How much is too much wealth? When you are the richest man in all of Asia surely that is enough right?” Apparently, God didn’t think so because after Job’s faithfulness through adversity the Lord blessed Job from being the wealthiest man in the east to having twice as much wealth as he had in the beginning. (See Job 42:12) You may be wondering “Wow, what did Job do with all that wealth?” How about we just ask him? Job says “I was a father to the poor: and the cause which I knew not I searched out.” Job 29:16. He was what I’d call a “millionaire missionary” because he used his wealth as a talent to serve God and his fellow man. Contrary to popular belief, many wealthy men, like Job, are not greedy, selfish, and take advantage of the poor so they could get rich. But instead are kind, generous, and use their wealth to take care of the needs of others. (See Philippians 2:4-5) Generosity to God and man starts when we have little. (Luke 16:10)
5 What is the real reason for why the unjust are increasing their wealth? Proverbs 28:8
Note: The wicked unknowingly are gathering their wealth so they can hand it over to the righteous who will use it to help others. The enemy wants God’s obedient to believe in order to be successful, they must sacrifice principles of truth and integrity. By believing this lie, the faithful will want nothing to do with this powerful tool for good. But the truth couldn’t be farther from the truth. (See Proverbs 14:34). The reason God allows people who are willing to compromise to temporarily gain wealth through unjust & dishonest ways is so they can hand it over to “him that will pity the poor” like Job (See Job 29:16). Temporal and spiritual prosperity are made conditional upon obedience to the laws of God. (See Job 36:11) Real lasting and enjoyable success is promised only to the obedient. (See Joshua 1:8)
6 Where did the first temptation to focus on lack, scarcity, or poverty come from? Genesis 2:16-17
Note: God said, of “every” tree you may “freely” eat. Are “every” and “freely” both abundance words? Yes. God planted man to live in an environment of abundance. Imagine this. Eve is surrounded by an abundance of good trees, abundance of good gold, abundance of good fruit, and she can freely eat of all of it. But there was ONE tree. Now, is one a scarcity word? Yes. There’s only one tree in the center of the garden of abundance that she cannot eat or she’ll die. Imagine there is abundance all around but in the center there is scarcity. The devil had to trick Eve into completely ignoring all her abundance by focusing on her lack. She had to blindly walk past all her abundance in order to get to her scarcity. The first temptation of Satan was, and still continues to be, the temptation to focus on Lack, Scarcity, and Poverty. In how many areas of your life have you allowed the enemy to shift your focus to scarcity? What will you do today so that you can overcome this ‘Poverty Mindset’?
7 What vehicle has God given His children so they may have lack of nothing? 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12
Note: Business is God’s divine vehicle for making sure His children would “have lack of nothing”. One of the reasons why many believers are struggling financially to pay their bills is because they have not followed the Biblical mandate to own their own business. God wants to bless His children with wealth. (See Deuteronomy 8:18) But if we don’t have a business and we are asking for God’s blessing, we literally have nothing for God to financially bless us with. Therefore He must give your blessing to the heathen who owns a business and is employing you. We see when Jacob had a job working for Laban, despite Laban’s deceptive and cheating methods, the Lord blessed Laban’s business because Jacob was in it. (See Genesis 30:27-30 – opens in new tab due to long verse) But as soon as Jacob starts his side business (see Genesis 30:35-36 – opens in new tab due to long verse) now God has something of Jacob’s which He is finally able to bless with great wealth and abundance. (see Genesis 30:43) Likewise, as long as Joseph had no business as a slave, his blessing had to be given to Potiphar’s house instead (see Genesis 39:1-5 – opens in new tab due to long verse), then the prison Joseph worked for (Genesis 39:21-23 – opens in new tab due to long verse), eventually Pharaoh and his entire kingdom became the wealthiest nation on earth because he employed Joseph to look after his kingdom (see Gen 41:37-41 – opens in new tab due to long verse). As Prime Ministers, both Joseph and Daniel “did the king’s business” (Daniel 8:27) instead of owning a business of their own. As long as God’s people are working for heathen businesses, God will continue to transfer the blessing of wealth originally designed for His children to their employer. (See Proverbs 11:26)
8 For who is the wealth of the world being stored up for? Proverbs 13:22
Note: Again and again, all throughout scripture we see God’s original plan for wealth and abundance was for His people. (See Genesis 13:2) The only reason why God allows unbelievers to possess money is to hand it over to His people. (See Exodus 3:21-22 – opens in new tab due to long verse) If something is true in scripture, it will not just be found in one isolated and singular place. (see Isaiah 28:13) If it is truth, it will be found all throughout the word of truth. (John 17:17) The wicked possessing money for the purpose of handing it over to God’s children is a theme throughout all of scripture from Genesis to Revelation. (Job 27:13, Job 27:16-17) This is part of The Law of Abundance. (See John 10:10)
9 What is the key to unlocking the abundance the Lord desires to give us? Matthew 6:33
Note: When we decide to seek God’s kingdom and follow the laws He has put in place for every area of our lives, we will begin to see Him work with us in producing abundance and fulfilling all our needs and the needs of others through us.
10 When we follow these divine laws and principles, and receive abundance from the Lord, will we ever have to depend on the world? Deuteronomy 28:12-13 (opens in new tab due to long verse)
In Light of God’s Word…
Is it your desire to obtain the abundance that God desires to give you when you choose to live within the laws and principles in regard to the financial area of your life?
Is it your decision to use the abundance you have right now and use it to help build up the kingdom of God?
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